Engineered Stone Produced with Glass Packaging Waste, Quartz Powder, and Epoxy Resin

Abstract

Engineered stone (ENS) is a type of artificial stone composed of stone wastes bonded together by a polymeric matrix. ENS presents a profitable alternative for solid waste management, since its production adds value to the waste by reusing it as raw material and reduces environmental waste disposal. The present work’s main goal is to produce an ENS based on quartz powder waste, glass packaging waste, and epoxy resin. The wastes were size-distributed by the fine sieving method. Then, the closest-packed granulometric mixture, as well as the minimum amount of resin that would fill the voids of these mixtures, was calculated. ENS plates were prepared with 15%wt (ENS-15) and 20%wt (ENS-20) epoxy resin by vibration, compression (10 tons for 20 min at 90 °C), and vacuum of 600 mmHg. The plates were sanded and cut for physical, chemical, and mechanical tests. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of fractured specimens was performed. ENS-15 presented 2.26 g/cm3 density, 0.1% water absorption, 0.21% apparent porosity, and 33.5 MPa bend strength and was resistant to several chemical and staining agents. The results classified ENS as a high-quality coating material, technically and economically viable, with properties similar to commercial artificial stones. Therefore, the development of ENS based on waste glass and quartz powder meets the concept of sustainable development, as this proposed novel material could be marketed as a building material and simultaneously minimize the amount of these wastes that are currently disposed of in landfills.